Batman Arkham Knight: The Official Novelization

by Marv Wolfman

THE OFFICIAL NOVELIZATION OF THE MOST EAGERLY AWAITED GAME OF 2015 -- ARKHAM KNIGHT!

Gotham City is in chaos as the criminal organizations run wild, seeking to fill the void left by the death of the Joker. When the Scarecrow threatens to unleash a toxin that will kill scores of innocents, the result is uncontrollable panic.

TM & (c) DC Comics. (s15)

Genres: Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Comics, Fiction, Novels

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 7, 2015

About the author

Marvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. It is very fast paced, I am not a gamer any more, but I talked to you younger cousin about the story points of the game snd they are very similar. There are touches in the writing where a Batman switches between targeting and stealth mode, or "detective lenses" which are right out of the game and fits perfectly with the game play.

This is set in the game continuity, the have loosely refer to fact from the main DC universe, which they have tweaked for the purposes of this story. The book is based on one of my favourite Batman stories. For spoiler reason I an not going to say which one. However there are plenty clues along the way that anyone would a decent knowledge of the Bat family to story is going and who is the Arkham a Knight.

This book is a lot better than it's prequel the Riddler's Gambit. The best thing about this book is Marv Wolfman wrote Batman spot on. He does not just jump into situations is has a plan a,b,c all the way to z. He is methodical, practical, logical and always prepared. With just the right touch of his bossy controlling nature driving a wedge between him and his younger partners.

The story the Joker is dead, for months there has been a power struggle in Gotham to fill the void he left. However he has played one last joke. Five individuals have been infect by the Joker's modified blood. This is causing their genetic to be overwritten to the Joker's complete with his memories. Also the Scarecrow is on the verge or releasing a new fear toxin over the whole of Gotham. Also a number of other Bat-villeins have been drawn into this schemes along with a private army of mercenaries and drones/tanks. Even Batman is not 100% and among other things feeling his age is he up to one last epic adventure.

This book has it all action, mystery, detective work as well and revelations you would probobly never thought you/I would see outside a stand alone story. I highly recommend this to Batman fans and gamers alike.

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro è stupendo. A parte il secondo di Batman mi chiedo se negli anni siano stati tradotti altri libri come questo. Sia DC che Marvel. Mi piacerebbe leggerli nel caso.

*ATTENZIONE SPOILERS INSIDE!!!*
Che il Cavaliere fosse Jason Todd alla fine mi era venuto in mente. Molto tardi però. Avevo imparato della morte di Jason su alcuni spillati allora della Play Press e di conseguenza che forse non era morto. Però mi mancava un bel po' in mezzo quindi finchè Batman nella sua allucinazione non comincia a vedere la scena dal Joker che uccide Jason non ho pensato a lui. Perchè l'unica cosa che mi era rimasta impressa alla fine era che il secondo Robin era morto anche se mi pare in quegli spillati si svelava poprio il fatto di Jason vivo ma non appartengono a questo arco. Mi ricordo delle bende ... ma qui è confuso. Comunque nessun Cavaliere.

Quanto al Joker. Mio Dio è immortale. Basta un po' del suo sangue e diventi lui. Attenti alle trasfusioni infette. 😱

[Gaetano · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questo libro l’autore cerca di far rivivere al lettore le atmosfere cupe e fumettose del noto videogame, ma non è un affare così semplice.
Il libro scorre abbastanza bene, anche se in alcuni punti diventa un po’ lento, ma niente di particolarmente pesante.
Qui troviamo un Batman molte volte davanti a delle difficoltà che lo mettono difronte alle sue paure, alla sua storia personale e a traumi che non riesce a superare.
All’inizio del libro non mi aspettavo chissà che bel libro e ne ho avuto conferma del proseguito, ma questo non deve allontanare il lettore perché un buon libro di svago e da ombrellone o giornate di pioggia.

[clumsyplankton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly pretty good

[Rae Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Batman Arkham Knight book by Marv Wolfman is the novelization of the video game which released in June of this year. I’m not sure which is more geeky, playing video games or reading books about them. Either way, I accept my status in the geekdom. So anyway, Marv wrote this book capturing all of the gameplay in novel format, and much more. You get inside Batman’s head in a way that you can’t experience playing a video game, you feel the depth of his fears and desperation to save lives. This is not your parents’ Batman story, people are dying in Gothem City and Batman is losing control.

[Ryan Hillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thrilling novel based on the new ps4 game: Arkham Knight!!

[Higor Hebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu não sou muito fã da história do jogo, achei que o livro poderia mudar isso. Mas não conseguiu exatamente.
A história segue fiel a do jogo, só cortando as missões paralelas e adicionando mais dialogo.
O que é melhor que o jogo, claro, torna tudo mais fácil de se acreditar e coerente, mas mesmo assim, não sou fã da história.
Porém, o livro é bem escrito.

[Hidekisohma · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, having not played the second or third game in this series, I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel. I DID recently read the Riddler prequel book...which leads me to the weird thing about this story. The Riddler's not even in it. Which is very strange because they spend the whole last book talking about how the Riddler was going to be basically the new Joker, and then he doesn't even show up in this. It's more than a little annoying.
The biggest issue I had with this novel is that you can tell it's based off a video game. What I mean by that is, it's a "Go to the next place" type of writing. Batman will do something, the next part will be in this new location and will have X amount of guards. Scenes you can pretty much see in your minds eye was supposed to be a video game level. And honestly, after the 15th time of reading "he brings his shoulder on the thug's neck, causing him to drift into blissful unconsciousness", it gets a bit old.
The writing, I have to say was actually pretty good in terms of the way it was written. Poor Marv doesn't have much to work with as his job here is translate a 30 hour game into a 360 page book. He doesn't get to write his own story, he's basically transcribing. However, he DID make it a quick an easy read which I am very thankful for.
The story in itself however isn't really, when it boils down to it, a very good one. The scarecrow is going to use fear gas to make Gotham scared. And they act like this is a big deal. Forgive me, but that's kind of Scarecrow's deal...ALL THE TIME. I really CAN'T remember a time when Scarecrow's goal WASN'T to fear the town with fear gas. That would be like Gotham being shocked that Mr. Freeze attacked somewhere that was cold.
Throughout the whole story they had this weird thing where they had joker's blood in Batman's body and it's threatening to take over his mind and he keeps seeing hallucinations of the dead joker. To me, this really just slowed down the story and padded it out. Unfortunately though it was sort of needed because the story wasn't that large in scope as it was.
I'm not going to reveal the end because I want to keep this spoiler free, but i'm just going to say that the overall villain's plan of the story wasn't worth the ending.
Speaking of the ending, I hope you like 340 pages of build and then a 20 page rush to the finale. As I said, the story didn't justify the end, especially with their attempt to close up every loose end. Which...just didn't work. This story didn't deserve to be a swan song for Batman, it was more like a random episode with finality tacked on for added "drama".
I AM giving this a 3 though because, while annoying at times, and it felt like a mental batman beatdown with no real spots of levity, it read very well and at least kept me reading even though the ending was very disappointing. Once again, I am not blaming the writer on this, I am moreso blaming the writer of the actual Arkham Knight video game. For what Marv had to work with, he did a really good job.
As I said before it was EXTREMELY disappointing that the Riddler's role was monumentally built up in the previous novel only to show up exactly 0% in this story. It left me scratching my head for the entire novel wondering when he was going to show up.
When it all boils down it, here's what I have to say. If you would rather read a more detailed version of what happened in this game than say a wikipedia page (probably because, like me, you don't want to invest 30ish hours playing a game that's super repetative), I would recommend this book if only to catch you up to speed. If you're looking for a fun Batman adventure....I'd say skip this one. 2.5 out of 5.

[Darth Dragonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up next from Darth’s Colossal Stack of Stuff is 2015 video game novelization “Batman: Arkham Knight.” The book was written by longtime comic scribe Marv Wolfman. I would certainly play the other two games in the Arkham series (Arkham Asylum (2009) and Arkham City (2011)) before playing the Arkham Knight game or reading its novelization. All three of the games are excellent. There is also a prequel novel: “Batman: Arkham Knight – The Riddler’s Gambit,” that’s more of a standalone story that doesn’t add much depth to either the Arkham Knight game or novel.

The first thing that becomes apparent when reading the Arkham Knight novelization is that it doesn’t strive to be a word-for-word recounting of the game’s events. Given that video games are often lackluster source material for novels, this is a good thing – in most respects. While I do appreciate Marv Wolfman’s attempt at crafting a streamlined novel that doesn’t get bogged down in relaying the game’s numerous side quests, it’s those same side quests that really breathe life into the world of Arkham Knight. I wish the novel had integrated at least a few more of the side stories into the narrative. There are some colorful characters and stories worth remembering from the game that unfortunately don’t make the cut into the novel.

In all other respects the novel is excellent. Author Wolfman writes Batman’s character with a real sense of authority. I enjoyed delving into our protagonist’s psyche and was especially enamored with the psychological battle between Bruce and Joker. Batman is pushed to the absolute limits and Wolfman paints a vivid portrait of what happens when the Caped Crusader is brought the brink. All the characters are well-written, from Jim and Barbara, to Scarecrow, to Poison Ivy and beyond.

Given a long career steeped in decades of comic writing, it comes as no surprise that Marv Wolfman would add some classic comic references to the story. Both “The Killing Joke” (1988) and “A Death in the Family” (1988) factor very heavily into the story, and these callbacks pack a serious punch. If you’re unfamiliar with these comics, both are worthy of your time.

The land of video game novelizations is littered with half-baked, mediocre efforts brought forth into existence for no other reason than to make a quick buck. “Batman: Arkham City,” however, is not among these ho-hum publications. While not perfect, it’s a well-crafted tale that adds appreciable lore to its title character. And at the end of the day, it’s just a fun read – and that’s what really matters.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark, violent, and action packed; the novelization of the computer game is true to the medium following a game-made script with some added introspection and character background that breaks up the fight-centric narrative.

Batman endures both a physiological and physical battle to retain his sense of self and save his city from the Scarecrow and his minions following the villains rise to power in Gotham after the Jokers death. .

The action is full frontal and dose tend to read same-same boarding on drab at time - but this is a batman book so action scenes are pivotal to the Bats' plight despite them being tedious at times.

ARKHAM KNIGHT is pretty entertaining from start to finish and has an ending that leaves the Batman story open ended while completing a violent chapter in the Dark Night saga.

Fans of the computer game and general Batman fans will enjoy this novelization.

http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Neo Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great For Both Causal and Hardcore BatFans Alike!!!!

I really loved 'Batman Arkham Knight! It's a helluva great read! Masterfully crafted by the guy who knows as much about the Batman universe as anybody! Lots of great action and many cool twists and unexpected turns! You don't have to play the games to enjoy this adventure! I highly recommend this one for both causal and hardcore BatFans alike!

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm…
While being a enjoyable novelization of the game, it fell a bit flat at characters that weren’t Bruce Wayne/Batman. Emotionally it felt dull. A lot more could’ve fit the pages. Still, with a fast paced tempo and overuse of the word “merc”, I was immersed in the dark and gritty Gotham City of Mr. Wolfman. 🦇

[Sylexlibris · Rating 3 out of 5]

awww I have loved so much this first buddy reading with my bae!!And the book was about my little Bat~ ♡♡ This is not a work of art but I appreciated it uwu Next, buddy!!!! ^3^

[Eva Therese · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for/expecting a written adaptation of the game with lots of extra insights into the thoughts and backgrounds of the characters. I didn't quite get what I thought I would.

Of course, I realized in advance that there would be differences. The format of a video game does not translate easily to a novel. (Although there was a scene, which was basically Batman taking out a predator room, which worked very well.) But there were a lot of changes, which I can't see being necessary simply because of the format. Possibly Wolfman got an outline of the game's story, which was then changed in the game, but it still felt confusing. Also, the changes weren't exactly for the better. There were at least two big plot twists in the game, where I felt that the book showed its hand way too early.
The story focus almost exclusively on the main story line, with a tiny bit of the Penguin and Nightwing sidequest, whith a rather unsatisfying end. So no Two-face, no Azrael, Firefly, Pyg etc. Of course they can't cram every sidequest into the book and it would be kinda boring to read about Batman saving 12 firefighters, and knocking down 11 watchtowes, 10 checkpoints, 9 APC lieutenants and a partridge in a peartrees.
But, also no Deathstroke and no Riddler? Part of the plot, the basic idea of the game and I'm pretty sure that this exact line in also in the book was that "there was a meeting, everyone was there". All the villains pool their resources to hire the army and all the villains work together to distract Batman while Scarecrow unrolls his masterplan. Having none of that in the book is just disappointing.

All in all, it's not a bad book; it's pretty well written with some good action scenes. But it's too far removed from the game to be a must for a fan.

[JJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short version: Just play the game or watch someone else play through it.

Batman: Arkham Knight is a very visual experience, and the story definitely isn't the strong point. It's a genuinely beautiful game, even years later, and impressed me on the base PS4. It was also tons of fun and a real joy to be the first Batman game I 100% completed.

This book, on the other hand, can't capture the atmosphere of the dark, rainy Gotham streets or the mind-bending tricks that are played in Batman's head. With a game like this I want to be careful of spoilers, but there's a particular character that lives rent-free in Batman's head who is occasionally acknowledged in the book but you really have to see to get the full effect of. It also makes a decision about a major character and what Batman thinks happened to them for most of the story that lacks the punch of the decision the game developers made. It really guts the emotional core of what drives Batman for most of the story.

There's not much else to say -- beyond not faithfully capturing what makes the game so memorable, it also adds nothing new of its own to the story. With a book like this maybe you'd get to shift perspectives more frequently or gain more insight into how characters feel or what they think, but Wolfman opts to go for a straight retelling with only the occasional look deeper into Batman. Finally, the characterizations didn't quite 100% match the prequel novel, The Riddler's Gambit. Truthfully I can't come up with a specific example, but reading them back-to-back I remember thinking that it didn't feel like the same Batman.

Again, just play the game or watch someone else play it. There's no value or a good time to be had here.

[Arthur Malaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: Arkham Knight é uma novelização do jogo de mesmo nome, adaptado para as páginas pelo americano Marv Wolfman, um roteirista de histórias em quadrinhos que tem em seu currículo o aclamado Crise nas Infinitas Terras e carrega também o credito da criação dos Novos Titãs, sucesso estrondoso da DC Comics.
Bem, sobre a história apresentada aqui temos uma Gotham City dominada pelo espantalho, que, após a morte do Coringa (Acontece em Arkham City), libera seu gás do medo para aterrorizar os cidadãos, trazendo muito trabalho e dor de cabeça para o morcegão. Como se já não bastasse, um inimigo poderoso e bem treinado se alia ao espantalho e pode colocar de vez a vida do morcego em risco. Eu joguei esse jogo alguns anos atrás, e a qualidade narrativa do mesmo é surpreendente! as reviravoltas e mistérios da jornada são bastante únicas, a ponto de oferecer uma verdadeira emoção em seguir. Mas isso tudo é crédito para a equipe que criou o jogo, não é mesmo? Então porque esse livro é tão bom? Simples: Marv escolhe os elementos que vai transpor para o livro, corta as side quests que poderiam causar confusão no leitor, como a jornada do Azrael, as charadas do charada ou aqueles corpos que ele encontra pendurados pela cidade. Além disso, trás breves introduções ou explicações de eventos ou personagens para quem não está familiarizado com a série Arkham. Enfim, faz um ótimo trabalho e me incitou a reinstalar o game para revisitar Arkham. 9/10

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman Arkham Knight by Marv Wolfman is the novel for the game Arkham Knight which is part of the Arkham trilogy. This is the first time that I am reading a Batman novel and I have never play that game before, and I enjoyed the book very much.

The suspense was there throughout the whole book where Batman has to stop Scarecrow and the mysterious Arkham Knight before they releases the fear toxin to the world. At the same time, we gets to follow Batman in coping with the death of his arch-nemesis, the Joker. From what I read, it seems that in the previous games, Joker has inflicted Batman with the Joker poison and now, Batman is slowly becoming him. I like the relationship between the two of them. They are just not the typical good and bad guy. This book also shows us what does the both of them fears really well. The action scene was intense and finding out the identity of the Arkham Knight.. There were hints in the book which points to a certain person.

Overall, this was a good book and although there was a cliff hanger at the end which is up to the readers' interpretation, I still enjoyed reading it.

[R.E.D. Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's not Batman quite the way I like him, but it was pretty good. You can tell it's sort of based on a video game, because it all happens in one night, but you don't get a sense of cumulative damage. Five minutes rest, and Batman's mostly fine again and ready for the next level. Also, you don't get as much character depth, which is too bad because the premise would actually be remarkably good for an in depth character study. I also think it's too bad you didn't have more from Robin's perspective, but then I'm a Tim Drake fan.
On the plus side, it portrays Batman correctly (No Killing, etc.), which is better than any of the movies have managed so far. I really enjoyed the final confrontation at the end, and thought it was rather touching, though it does sort of ruin things for a sequel. On the other hand, there's plenty of ambiguity about what really happened, and comic writers have been getting out of that kind of predicament for decades.
All in all, a good read, and a good way to enjoy Arkham Knight if you don't want to take the time playing through the video game.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt that this novel was very well written. As Batman stories go, this was amazing. I enjoyed being able to watch how the members of the Rogues Gallery tended to oppose each other. It is usually shown that they work together since Batman is the common enemy. I certainly never expected ***** to agree to work with Batman. It was an absolutely wonderful ride in Gotham City. No one in this book was perfect. There was even a twist towards the end that showed just how one of the best of them could turn.
The mental dynamic between Batman and the Joker was incredible. At its core base, it was the fight between good and evil that everyone suffers from. It is the choices we make that ultimately determine who we truly are.
I can't recommend this book enough. I know that it is based off of the video game and some may make comparisons to that plot line. But if you haven't played the game (like me) then you have no prior storytelling to go off of. This was really great. Now where is my XBox controller.....?

[Victor Oliveira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acho que o grande mérito de adaptações de obras de outras mídias (games, filmes, HQs) para os livros são os ganchos que o autor coloca para preencher as lacunas que se formam.

Cada midia tem seus pormenores e isso deve ser respeitado, e acho que esse livro faz isso de forma primorosa. Claramente o autor Marv Wolfmann sabia o que estava fazendo, conhecia a história e o personagem. Esse livro passa longe de ser um caça níquel.

O ponto baixo pra mim fica por conta de, o livro claramente aborda a missão principal do jogo, mas acredito que teria espaço para colocar alguns detalhes de "side missions" no livro. Acrescentaria muito, pois poderíamos ver mais personagens clássicos do Batman.

Além disso, senti uma pequena pressa do autor na reta final do livro. Muito preocupado em descrever os eventos do game ao invés de contar uma história.

Mas de qualquer forma eu recomendo, independente de você ter jogado o game ou não. é
É uma excelente história do Batman.

[Ash Paeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished the first two games plotline in the two days that I had off last week, so I know what I'm getting into with the third (plus I plaid about half of the plot line for this too, but I digress). I was pleasantly surprised on the whole of the plot for the whole of the Arkham series; it's nice to see a different take on the comic book characters I know and love, even if it is a turn for the darker.

Though I understand some of the differences made to translate the game into a book format, they stuck pretty close to the overall plot of the game and I'm really pleased with it. Definitely recommend to those who want to get a bit of backstory on the Batman's motivations during the final game of the Arkham trilogy and relive the game.

[mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.25) this video game series is like one of the best ever! this book, however, is definitely not the best but still a decent read. the writing was very simple and repetitive, and the story was pretty choppy, but it’s based off of a 20+ hour action video game so i kind of expected that. it seemed to fall into a pattern of small blurb of gotham history, action sequences, and a lot of dialogue which ended up just feeling kind of empty to me. still, not bad! i probably would’ve enjoyed this more if i hadn’t played the game because i wouldn’t know what exactly is missing and really just what could have been….i also felt like batman was way nicer in this than in the game. like i don’t think arkham batman ever or would ever say please to a “merc” but oh well

[Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was choppy and ditactic. Nightwing's appearance felt weird, tacked on and not necessary at all and Robin also felt like he didn't play a large enough role. Jason was way too easily persuaded, and the second he was finally in a position to kill Batman he just started crying? I mean I don't have a problem with it playing out like that but it just so rushed and weird. Then he just kind of drops out of the picture and it cuts to Batman and Gordon. Then he's back for like two seconds as Red Hood. It just all felt very forced. And the things you didn't want or need fleshed out like the fight scenes and joker fever dreams took up entire chapters.
The comics are much better.

[Addison Filpo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the novelization of the Arkham Knight game which overall I did enjoyed. It did have some really cringy moments when the writer kept saying Batman smiled. I get Batman was turning into The Joker but it was just really weird the way it was done. The Arkham Knight (Jason) was incredibly written well in my opinion. I think the game should of made him the way he was written in this book. Much scarier and menacing. I liked that it did referenced The Riddler’s Gambit novel.

If anyone played the game and want to read it the next time around I would highly recommend this. Just know that the cringy moments are really cringy 😵‍💫😂

[Jordan McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, but I had some major issues with some scenes in this novelization of Arkham Knight. Instead of going the route of having scenes in the game play out exactly as they do, and add other tidbits that we don’t see that narratively makes sense. Marv (the author) decided to add dialogue into scenes that we see play out in the game, and it ruins the flow of them here. The added dialogue just felt unneeded in those scenes. When we have scenes never shown in the game, it works, but the additional stuff or actual changes to scenes we can play is just off putting.

[Juls Nelyafinwe · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first star is for the Arkham Knight, the second is for Nightwing and Robin.
Stop.
I really didn't like this book and this is so sad, it could have been great...but nope.
Sorry, but the plot was too strange and confusing.
If the Joker is dead, let him be dead.
Bah, this had a good potential. But they wrecked it in the worst way possible.

[Colby Denton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novelization of this amazing game certainly did not cover a majority of content from the game. I believe that I will read the prequel novel that details the Riddler more in-depth, but I don't expect to hear much different content than what was in the game itself. Wish there had been more perspectives from the villains.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.
This story is thin on plot and packed with action. One violent scene after another. Lots of hits to the face resulting in blood splattering exploding noses. Chock full of villains who lead incredibly large armies and others who make cameo appearances.
Pretty much what one could expect from a book based on a Batman video game.

[Kevin Duvall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marv Wolfman writes this characters really well (I mean of course he is with his track record), but there’s only so much he can do adapting a game that didn’t really have anything special for a plot. The book was a pretty fun quick read, but there are a many more memorable Batman stories out there.

[Javier Caniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman stories almost never disappoint me. Having not played the game I actually felt inside it. Not an amazing story but a great read full of action and detective batman work that always love to read. Page turner that I recommend for any Batman fan interested in a fun, light and action story.